ROCHESTER — Thousands of children in New Hampshire attend child care programs every day. Some children attend small license-exempt family child care programs (they can care for a maximum of 3 children in addition to their own children), licensed family child care programs, child care centers, preschool programs, school-age programs and other types of care arrangements, including using family and friends.

Finding child care is one of the most important and challenging tasks families may face as they are looking for a safe and nurturing environment for their child, whether it be due to a need to work or wanting their child to have socialization opportunities with peers. RCA/SNHS Child Care Services can assist families with their child care search. With offices in Rochester and Portsmouth, families in Strafford County and in Eastern and Central Rockingham County have a free resource to turn to when they need to find child care programs.

The Rochester office, which is located at 1 Old Dover Road, Suite 2, can be reached at 1-800-913-1912 or at 994-3505. The Portsmouth office is at 4 Cutts Street and staff can be reached at 1-800-556-9300 or 430-4923. In addition to providing free referrals, RCA/SNHS staff can talk to families about quality components and what to look for when visiting child care programs. They can inform families about the differences between the types of care listed above and they also answer questions families may have about the search process. In addition to helping families, RCA/SNHS staff support child care providers by offering trainings and technical assistance to help improve program quality and to help maintain compliance with the State of NH Child Care Licensing Rules.

If you or someone you know needs to find a child care program, or if you want more information about becoming a child care provider, please contact RCA/SNHS.